Internships and Fellowships
-- Lizzie Falconer, former intern
Blogs by past interns and long-term volunteers
To get an idea of what it's like to work with Tandana as an intern, check out these blogs:
Summer ESL Internship
The Tandana Foundation is seeking motivated and qualified summer interns to develop curriculum, teach, and lead field trips and activities for local secondary school students in Quichinche, Ecuador, a region that is rich in natural beauty and cultural diversity. This internship is available each year from around the end of June to around the beginning of August. This year's dates are June 30th - August 3rd.
Position Description:
In this internship, your primary responsibility will be to provide continuity and excellence in the curriculum and teaching for Tandana's Vacation Courses in Quichinche, Ecuador. Specifically, you will design a coherent and effective curriculum for one level of ESL classes, as well as other electives, for secondary school students. These classes will take place five days a week each morning for four weeks in July. You will plan the curriculum ahead of time, teach it, and record it in a way that is easy for future interns and volunteers to follow. For the electives, you may plan and teach lessons in other subjects, such as art, leadership, math, health, physics, or geography, and you will help lead field trips and enrichment activities for the summer students. Finally, you will serve as a cultural ambassador and a positive representative of The Tandana Foundation. In return, you will be placed with a host family, which will allow countless opportunities to explore the indigenous cultures and subsistence lifestyles of highland Ecuador as well as the natural environment around you. You will also be given all the support you need to succeed in your work and be encouraged to accomplish your personal internship goals.
Requirements:
- Conversational Spanish
- Experience living in cross-cultural situations, preferably in Latin America
- Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse array of people, to solve problems creatively, and to promote a positive experience for all involved
- Self-motivation, responsibility, and an ability to work independently
- Prior ESL experience or training, or demonstrated interest in teaching
- Minimum age is 19
Responsibilities:
- Design, implement, and record effective curriculum for ESL and electives
- Lead local students on field trips and service activities
- Collaborate with and assist Tandana’s Cursos Coordinator and Ecuador Program Manager
- Represent Tandana in a positive manner to all community members and volunteers and help to build good relationships
Benefits:
- The opportunity to participate in unique cultural activities and be a part of a dynamic, multi-cultural team
- Detailed orientation and ongoing support from Tandana's Ecuador Program Manager
- Room and board with a local family (homestay)
- Work expenses including local transportation, cell phone, and consular fees. (Interns pay their own airfare to Ecuador)
How to apply:
Interested parties should send a resume and a cover letter addressing each of the following questions to Aaron DiMartino, Senior Operations Director, at aaron [at] tandanafoundation.org. Please write "Summer ESL Internship" in the subject line of the email.
- Please describe any experience you have living in Ecuador or in another cross-cultural situation.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a teacher?
- Describe an experience that was very challenging for you. How did you deal with the difficulties, and what did you learn from the experience?
- What are you passionate about, and how do you express that passion?
- What do you think will be most exciting about this internship?
- What do you think will be most difficult about this internship?
- What are your personal and professional goals for this internship and how can we help you accomplish them?
- Do you have preferred starting and ending dates? Are these dates flexible?
- How would you rate your Spanish and English speaking ability? Beginner, intermediate, advanced, native speaker?
Storytelling Internship
blog. Located in a region that is rich in natural beauty and cultural diversity, this internship is available year-round, and the minimum time commitment is 3 months. While living and working in mountain villages in the Otavalo canton of Ecuador, the intern will collect information mainly from local community members, scholarship students, beneficiaries from our patient follow-up program, and even from participants of our programs & staff members. Position Description:
In this internship, you will work alongside Margarita who is Tandana's Program Assistant. In addition to managing our accounting, Margarita works to keep our office organized and assists our programs in many important ways. Your primary duty will include the collection of stories for our blog. It will also be important for this intern to administer surveys and collect data to help us show our impacts. Because Tandana facilitates many volunteer programs and community development projects throughout the year, you may also help coordinate service- and cultural-learning experiences for groups of U.S. students that are visiting as well as assist with other Tandana projects as need arises. Finally, you will serve as a cultural ambassador and a positive representative of The Tandana Foundation. In return, you will be placed with a host family, which will allow countless opportunities to explore the indigenous cultures and subsistence lifestyles of highland Ecuador as well as the natural environment around you. You will also be given all the support you need to succeed in your work and be encouraged to accomplish your personal internship goals.
Requirements:
- Conversational Spanish.
- Strong writing, translation, and editing skills in both English and Spanish.
- Experience living in cross-cultural situations, preferably in Latin America.
- Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse array of people, to solve problems creatively, and to promote a positive experience for all involved.
- Self-motivation, responsibility, and an ability to work independently.
- Photography skills encouraged but not required.
- Minimum age is 19.
- Minimum time commitment is 3 months.
Responsibilities:
- You will work with our Program Assistant, Social Media Specialist, Communications Specialist, and work independently, to collect, edit, and translate stories from all our beneficiaries for our blog and fundraising efforts.
- You will collect, take, and edit photos to include with the above blog posts.
- Collection of data to be used for evaluation (e.g. contact past scholarship students, find out what they are doing now, administer surveys, etc.)
- Keep various inventories that we have in our office up to date (e.g. books, cooking supplies, tools, etc.).
- Help Margarita with the inventory of medications and medical supplies.
- Assist with volunteer programs as needed.
- Support the Ecuador Program Manager as needed.
Benefits:
- The opportunity to participate in unique cultural activities and be a part of a dynamic, multi-cultural team.
- Detailed orientation and ongoing support from Tandana's Ecuador Program Manager
- Room and board with a local family (homestay).
- Work expenses including local transportation, cell phone, and consular fees. (Interns pay their own airfare to Ecuador).
How to apply:
Interested parties should send a resume and a cover letter addressing each of the following questions to Aaron DiMartino, Senior Operations Director, at aaron [at] tandanafoundation.org. Please write "Storytelling Internship" in the subject line of the email.
- Please describe any experience you have living in Ecuador or in another cross-cultural situation.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses as a leader?
- Describe an experience that was very challenging for you. How did you deal with the difficulties, and what did you learn from the experience?
- What are you passionate about, and how do you express that passion?
- What do you think will be most exciting about this internship?
- What do you think will be most difficult about this internship?
- What are your personal and professional goals for this internship and how can we help you accomplish them?
- Do you have preferred starting and ending dates? Are these dates flexible?
- How would you rate your Spanish and English speaking ability? Beginner, intermediate, advanced, native speaker?
Entrepreneurship & Marketing Internship
The Tandana Foundation is looking for someone who has an interest in entrepreneurship, marketing, and community-based development to work, likely remotely, with a group of women in Yambiro, Ecuador, who are developing a new initiative producing hand-hooked rugs. This internship will provide an opportunity to gain hands-on experience supporting a small, community-based business while working with an international team.
Position Description:
The intern's primary responsibilities will be to research potential sales opportunities for the rugs and support the rug hookers and Tandana staff in developing connections with potential buyers, retailers, organizations, and other partners. The intern may also help with marketing, product presentation, and other aspects of developing the business, based on the goals and needs identified by the women involved.
The intern will communicate with Tandana staff and, when appropriate, members of the group in Ecuador. Spanish language skills are helpful but not required. The intern will work directly with members of Tandana’s global team, who will offer ongoing support to succeed in their work and be encouraged to accomplish their personal and professional internship goals.
Requirements:
- Interest in entrepreneurship, small business development, marketing, or related field
Availability for a minimum of 6 weeks for 10 hours/week
Strong research, communication, and organizational skills
Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse array of people, to solve problems creatively, and to promote a positive experience for all involved
Self-motivation, responsibility, and an ability to work independently
Spanish language skills are helpful but not required
Experience working with people from a different cultural background is helpful
Minimum age is 18
Responsibilities:
- Research potential markets and sales opportunities for the women's hooked rugs, including retailers, artisan markets, fair-trade organizations, online marketplaces, and other potential partners
Identify and research potential buyers, retailers, and organizations that may be interested in promoting the rugs
Help develop connections with potential partners in collaboration with Tandana staff and the Ecuador team
Research comparable products and businesses to inform pricing, product presentation, and marketing strategies
Support the development of information to share with potential customers and partners
Assist with other Tandana communications, marketing, or community initiative projects as needed
Communicate with Tandana staff and, as appropriate, members of the group in Ecuador
Benefits:
Gain hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, marketing, and community development
Develop skills in market research, relationship-building, and marketing
Be part of a dynamic, multi-cultural team working across the United States and Ecuador
Live out the Tandana mission: To support the achievement of community goals and address global inequalities through caring intercultural relationships that embody mutual respect and responsibility
Learn about the indigenous cultures and communities of highland Ecuador
How to Apply:
Interested parties should send a resume and a brief cover letter describing their interest in this internship and any relevant experience to info@tandanafoundation.org. Please write "Entrepreneurship & Marketing Internship" in the subject line of the email.
Video Production Internship
The Tandana Foundation is looking for someone with interest and experience in video production to help create engaging visual content about our community initiatives and intercultural programs. This internship will be conducted remotely and will provide an opportunity to gain hands-on experience creating video content for a nonprofit organization working with communities in Ecuador and Mali.
Position Description:
The intern's primary responsibilities will include developing video stories, editing video footage, and helping create content that can be shared through Tandana's website, social media, fundraising efforts, and other communications. The intern will work with Tandana's communications staff and other members of the Tandana team to identify stories, develop concepts, and produce videos that represent community members and their work respectfully and accurately. The intern will work directly with members of Tandana’s global team, who will offer ongoing support to succeed in their work and be encouraged to accomplish their personal and professional internship goals.
Requirements:
- Experience and demonstrated interest in video production, filmmaking and digital media
- Familiarity with video editing software
- Strong storytelling and communication skills
- Ability to work cooperatively with a diverse array of people, to solve problems creatively, and to promote a positive experience for all involved
- Self-motivation, responsibility, and an ability to work independently
- Experience with photography, graphic design, or social media is helpful but not required
- Spanish or French language skills are helpful but not required
- Experience working with people from a different cultural background is helpful
- Minimum age is 18
- Availability for a minimum of 6 weeks for 10 hours/week
Responsibilities:
- Edit video footage into engaging, polished stories for use on Tandana's website, social media, fundraising efforts, and other communications
- Work with Tandana staff to identify stories and determine appropriate formats and audiences
- Organize and maintain video files and other digital media
- Assist with selecting and preparing photographs and other visual materials for Tandana's communications
- Work with Tandana staff to ensure that stories represent community members and their work accurately
- Assist with other communications projects as needed
Benefits:
- Gain hands-on experience in video production and nonprofit storytelling
- Develop a portfolio of video work for a nonprofit organization working internationally
- Be part of a multicultural team working across the United States, Ecuador, and Mali
- Learn about the communities and initiatives supported by The Tandana Foundation
- Live out the Tandana mission: To support the achievement of community goals and address global inequalities through caring intercultural relationships that embody mutual respect and responsibility
How to Apply:
Interested parties should send a resume and a brief cover letter describing their interest in this internship and any relevant experience to info@tandanafoundation.org. Please write "Video Production Internship" in the subject line.
